April 2008
Metabolic Syndrome Clinic at St. Paul's Hospital a Success
Cracked But Not Broken: CHEOS and UBC Host International Conference on Stimulant Use
Providence Health Care Celebrates Dialysis Unit Upgrade and 1500th Kidney Transplant
March 2008
Free Public Talk: Latest in Cardiac Research, Care & Prevention
New Research Could Lead to Reduced Deaths from Septic Shock
February 2008
Providence Health Care Named a Best Employer for New Canadians
Summit Draws Leaders to Address Heart and Lung Health in BC
Free Drop-in Sessions: All About Heart Failure
January 2008
Innovative New Cardiac Operating Room Opens at St. Paul’s Hospital
Providence Health Care Board Member Awarded Order of Canada
New Addiction Research Chair Receives $2.25 Million in Funding
Providence Health Care President & CEO Named One of Canada’s Most Powerful Women
h 2007 ary 2007Experts from St. Paul’s Offer Drop-in Sessions on Heart Failure
Metabolic Syndrome Clinic at St. Paul's Hospital a Success
Patient Stories Underscore the Benefit of Vancouver’s B.C. Metabolic Syndrome Clinic at St. Paul’s Hospital
One in four Canadians suffer from metabolic syndrome, a combination of risk factors including excess abdominal fat that can increase their risk of serious heart disease, stroke and Type 2 diabetes. The Metabolic Syndrome Program located within Vancouver’s St Paul’s Hospital, has established a positive, innovative approach that’s helping British Columbians reduce their risk of developing heart disease and diabetes. The clinic was established with the support of a $1.6 million donation from pharmaceutical partner AstraZeneca Canada.
Cardiovascular disease is the third leading cause of premature death for those under 75, while diabetes is a contributing factor in the deaths of approximately 41,500 Canadians each year. As a provincial referral centre that opened its doors in 2006, the St. Paul’s clinic was the first of its kind in Canada. Since then, the Metabolic Syndrome Program has established itself as a centre of excellence where a specialized team of physicians and health care professionals develop individual treatment methods for patients. Hosting the inaugural Western Cardiometabolic Summit on April 12th reflects the innovative reputation the clinic has already established within the medical community.
“The goal of this Program is to set the standard for appropriate Metabolic Syndrome care in Canada and around the world,” says Dr. Andrew Ignaszewski, co-founder of the BC Metabolic Syndrome Program at St. Paul’s Hospital and Division Head of Cardiology at St. Paul’s/Providence Health Care. “Our 18-month program provides both individual and group support to B.C. residents with metabolic syndrome. Our activities – and core philosophy – focus on helping individuals set achievable goals and work through their personal challenges to achieve healthy lifestyle changes.”
Program staff also recognize the importance of strong community-based support networks to both the success of patients and the program itself. “The foundation of the program is a commitment to delivering integrated, world-class healthcare and lifestyle management services to our patients,” says Dr. Sammy Chan, Medical Director of the BC Metabolic Syndrome Program at St. Paul’s Hospital. “When we work with committed partners, and we think openly and strategically about how to deliver these services, it is the residents of B.C. that benefit.”
Patients of the B.C. Metabolic Syndrome Program are the greatest ambassadors of the clinic’s success. “Coming to this program here at St. Paul’s made me feel hopeful for the first time in a long while. I felt like I could finally get a handle on my health and be in control of what happens to me,” says Iva Fisher. “With the team at St. Paul’s behind me, I have lost over 40 pounds and have learned how to manage my metabolic syndrome. I feel strong and am looking forward to a long and healthy life.”
The Metabolic Syndrome Program is striving to establish metabolic syndrome risk reduction programs in community centres to help people across BC make healthy lifestyle changes.
“It’s extremely rewarding for AstraZeneca to be able to support a program that has made such an impact on the lives of so many people in British Columbia,” said Leslie Foord, Senior Manager, External Relations, British Columbia. “This program is another example of the tremendous innovation that exists in British Columbia and we’re proud to have been able to support it,” added Foord.
About the BC Metabolic Syndrome Clinic at St. Paul’s Hospital
Part of the Healthy Heart Program within the Providence Heart + Lung Institute at St. Paul’s Hospital, the Metabolic Syndrome Clinic and program provides comprehensive care of patients with metabolic syndrome. The goal is to reduce the features of metabolic syndrome through intensive lifestyle intervention and self-management support. The program offered to patients consists of both individual and group sessions with a multidisicplinary team.
About AstraZeneca Canada
AstraZeneca is a leading global pharmaceutical company with an extensive product portfolio spanning six major therapeutic areas: gastrointestinal, cardiovascular, infection, neuroscience, oncology, and respiratory. AstraZeneca's Canadian headquarters and packaging facilities are located in Mississauga, Ontario, with a state-of-the-art drug discovery centre based in Montreal, Quebec. For more information, visit the company's website at www.astrazeneca.ca.
h 2007 ary 2007Experts from St. Paul’s Offer Drop-in Sessions on Heart Failure
Cracked But Not Broken: CHEOS and UBC Host International Conference on Stimulant Use
The UBC Institute for Mental Health and the Centre for Health Evaluation and Outcome Sciences (CHÉOS) at Providence Health Care Research Institute will host "Cracked But Not Broken" an international conference that addresses stimulant use among adolescents and young adults April 18 - 20 at the UBC Life Sciences Centre.
International conference delegates will explore questions related to pregnancy, stimulant use, concurrent disorders and physical and mental illness associated with stimulant use and discuss the best evidence-based pharmacological and psychosocial treatments for adolescents.
“Stimulant use is especially commonamong adolescents and is generally associated with increased risk behaviour,” says Dr. Michael Krausz, Conference Director and UBC/Providence Health Care BC Leadership Chair in Addiction Research. “It can affect developmental capacities and also hinder a youth’s ability to engage in a productive lifestyle.”
Conference highlights include:
International Perspectives on Methamphetamine and Crack Use
April 18 (10am -12:30pm)
• Stimulant Use from a European Perspective - Dr. Michael Farrell, London, U.K.
• Street Stimulant Use in Hamburg, Germany - Dr. Peter Degkwitz, University of Hamburg.
• Street Stimulant Use in Spain - Dr. Eugenia Oveido, UBC
• Massive Increase in Crack Cocaine Use in Canada - Dr. Daniel Werb, UBC.
Risk Behaviour and Special Challenges:
Pregnancy and Motherhood, Physical Illness and Risk Behaviour
April 18 (1:30pm - 5pm)
• Drug Using Mothers, Roles & Risks of Stimulants - Dr.amelia Arria, John Hopkins Univ., USA.
• The Youth at Risk Survey - Dr. Cameron Duff, UBC. The purpose of the Vancouver Youth Drug Survey is to generate data on current and emerging alcohol and other drug use trends, providing important information to target service priorities and develop relevant, effective programs to best reach youth.
• The CEDAR Project - Dr. Patricia Spittall from UBC and Chief Wayne Christian from Enderby. The Cedar Project monitors HIV and Hepatitis Camong 600-1000 young Aboriginal people aged 14-30 who use injection and non-injection drugs in Vancouver, Prince George and, more recently, Kamloops.
Associated Concurrent Disorders
April 19 (9am - 12:30pm)
• Methamphetamine and Psychosis in Vancouver - Dr. William Honer, UBC
• Mental Illness and Addiction in a Vulnerable Urban Population - Dr. William MacEwan, UBC.
• Concurrent Mental Health and Substance Abuse Disordersamong Women in Pregnancy and Post-Partum - Dr. Shimi Kang, UBC.
• Combined Treatment Approaches for Opiate Addicts and Heavy Stimulant Users with Co-occurring Mental and Physical Disorders - Dr. Vincent Hendriks, The Hague, Netherlands.
A centre of the Providence Health Care Research Institute, the Centre for Health Evaluation and Outcome Sciences (CHÉOS) is an inter-disciplinary research collective founded to pursue excellence through the evaluation, interpretation and communication of health outcome research. CHÉOS works across all of PHC Research Institute's health disciplines including aging, cardiopulmonary health, urban health, HIV/AIDS, mental health, and kidney health.
For a detailed conference agenda please visit: www.cheos.ubc.ca
h 2007 ary 2007Experts from St. Paul’s Offer Drop-in Sessions on Heart Failure
Providence Health Care Celebrates Dialysis Unit Upgrade and 1500th Kidney Transplant
As part of March's Kidney Month activities, Providence Health Care's Renal Program held a celebration event to mark two significant milestones: the re-opening of a vital area of the hemodialysis unit at St. Paul's Hospital after $1.34 million in upgrades and the 1500th kidney transplant in the Program's history.
Since doctors completed the Program's first kidney transplant in 1986, Providence has grown into a national leader in kidney transplantation and was the first in Canada to perform a transplant through the new Paired Organ Donor Exchange program. It is also the largest kidney treatment, research and education program in the province.
"Performing 1,500 kidney transplants is a tremendous testament to the skill and expertise developed by Providence Health Care's Renal Program," says Katherine Whittred, MLA for North Vancouver-Lonsdale, who attended the event on behalf of Health Minister George Abbott. "Through the work of dedicated renal care specialists, our government's investment in projects like the hemodialysis unit renovation, and innovative strategies for early kidney disease detection, B.C. continues to lead the way in improving outcomes for patients with chronic kidney disease."
The facelift of the province's largest in-centre hemodialysis unit was funded by the Ministry of Health through the Provincial Health Services Authority and BC Provincial Renal Agency. The renovations will improve patient access and flow, improve workplace efficiency and enhance patient safety and infection control issues.
"These upgrades will enable us to better meet the needs of the 285 patients this unit currently serves and improve their experience overall. This is important when you consider that a dialysis patient commonly visits this unit at least three times a week for four hours each visit," says Dianne Doyle, president and CEO, Providence Health Care. "Providence's Renal Program continually strives to better meet the needs of those with renal risks and illness - from breakthrough research in our laboratories and clinics to helping patients gain independence through the home dialysis program."
Providence Health Care has the largest nephrology department in the province, providing care to patients and families across BC and the Yukon. Its integrated, interdisciplinary team of caregivers - based at St. Paul's Hospital - provides a continuum of treatment, from early intervention to dialysis and kidney transplantation. The range of hospital-based and outreach services provided by the renal team includes hemodialysis and peritoneal dialysis, as well as pre- and post-transplant assessment. Providence operates community hemodialysis units in Vancouver, Squamish, Sechelt, Powell River, Richmond and North Vancouver.
Working with the Provincial Health Services Authority and the five regional health authorities, the BC Provincial Renal Agency plans and coordinates British Columbia's kidney care services. Through these and other partnerships, the agency works to improve early diagnosis and intervention, improve treatment options for patients, ensure the financial sustainability of the provincial renal care system, ensure equitable access to services for all kidney patients in the province, and educate British Columbians about kidney disease.
h 2007 ary 2007Experts from St. Paul’s Offer Drop-in Sessions on Heart Failure
Free Public Talk: Latest in Cardiac Research, Care & Prevention
Straight From the Heart: Your Guide to the Latest in Cardiac Research, Care & Prevention
Get your pulse racing with the latest information in cardiac research, care and prevention. Our experts, based in two of Canada’s leading cardiac care centres, St. Paul’s Hospital and VGH, will guide you through the secrets of caring for the heart including the role of gender, what study results reveal about angioplasty vs. medical management, understanding risk, and new technology & surgical techniques.
To pre-register for this free event, call 604-875-4372 or email celebrateresearch@vch.ca. Moderated by Dr. Rhonda Low of CTV News at Five and featuring Drs. Chris Buller, Karin Humphries, and Sam Lichtenstein. Also, dietitian Melodie Yong (St. Paul’s Hospital Healthy Heart Program) and exercise specialist Karelyn Hrushowy (VGH Cardiac Rehab Program) will be available to answer your questions from 6 to 7 p.m.
The Public talk on “Straight From the Heart: Your Guide to the Latest in Cardiac Research, Care and Prevention” will be held on Tuesday March 11, 2008 at 7 p.m. (doors at 6 p.m.) at Vancouver General Hospital in the Jim Pattison Pavilion (899 West 12th Ave) at the Cordula & Günter Paetzold Health Education Centre on the Main Level.
To register, send your name and the number of people in your party to celebrateresearch@vch.ca or call 604-875-4372.
For more information: Visit www.vchri.ca
This event is part of UBC’s Celebrate Research Week, and is presented by the Vancouver Coastal Health Research Institute and the Providence Health Care Research Institute.
h 2007 ary 2007Experts from St. Paul’s Offer Drop-in Sessions on Heart Failure
New Research Could Lead to Reduced Deaths from Septic Shock
New research by St. Paul’s Hospital’s Dr. Jim Russell and the team of Vasopressin and Septic Shock Trial (VASST) investigators – published in the latest edition of the prestigious New England Journal of Medicine – shows some patients with septic shock may have a better chance of surviving if they are treated with the human hormone vasopressin. Sepsis is the body’s response to a severe infection and is a very serious medical condition characterized by an intense whole body inflammatory state. Dr. Russell’s research focused on patients suffering from septic shock, which leads to decreased tissue blood flow and oxygen delivery.
“Septic shock is the most common cause of death in intensive care units,” says Dr. Russell. “With a mortality rate of 40 to 60 per cent, it kills more people annually than heart attacks. Usual treatment includes antibiotics, fluids, oxygen, ventilator support and drugs to support low blood pressure such as the hormone norepinephrine. Our research found that infusion of the human hormone vasopressin could reduce the number of deaths in patients who have less severe septic shock.”
Although vasopressin is widely used to improve blood pressure in patients who have septic shock, no research had ever been done to determine whether vasopressin was more effective than norepinephrine in reducing deaths. The VASST study of 778 patients showed that vasopressin treatment did not change the primary outcome – death within 28 days - in those patients who were suffering from septic shock, but there was a demonstrable difference in patients who had less severe septic shock.
“In fact, our findings showed that in patients who had less severe septic shock, mortality was 26.5 per cent for the vasopressin treated group, compared to 35.7 per cent for the norepinephrine treated group,” said Dr. Russell.
There are about 750,000 cases per year of sepsis in the U.S. and about 75,000 in Canada. The number of cases is climbing around the world due to more resistant organisms, aggressive surgery and aging populations.
“This research provides more data for physicians and care teams that selective infusion of vasopressin in patients who have less severe septic shock has the potential to save the lives of thousands of septic patients,” said Dr. Russell. “Some experts recommend that a new trial of vasopressin in patients who have less severe septic shock is necessary to confidently determine whether vasopressin decreases their mortality.”
Background:
Dr. Jim Russell is a Professor of Medicine at University of British Columbia and a Principal Investigator at the James Hogg Centre for Cardiovascular and Pulmonary Research at St. Paul’s Hospital. He was previously Head of Medicine at St. Paul’s (1993 - 2003) and Head of Critical Care at UBC and St. Paul’s (1982 - 2005). The two major current themes of his research are: (1) the genomics of the systemic inflammatory response syndrome (SIRS) and sepsis; and (2) randomized controlled trials in the critically ill. The research success in sepsis was recognized in an invited review in New England Journal of Medicine (Russell JA. Management of Sepsis. N Engl J Med 2006; 355 (16): 699 – 713.)
St. Paul’s Hospital is a research, teaching and acute institution, operated by Providence Health Care. Providence is the largest faith-based health care organization in Canada, operating eight facilities in Vancouver, B.C., delivering compassionate care to 460,000 patients and residents each year, while training medical professionals and making innovative advances in research.
h 2007 ary 2007Experts from St. Paul’s Offer Drop-in Sessions on Heart Failure
Providence Health Care Named a Best Employer for New Canadians
Providence Health Care (PHC) has been selected as one of the 20 Best Employers for New Canadians for 2008, a designation that recognizes the nation's best employers for recent immigrants.
PHC was the only health care organization in western Canada recognized in 2008 for its progressive work policies, educational and training opportunities and competitive compensation that assist new Canadians in making the transition to a new workplace and a new life in Canada.
"I would like to congratulate Providence Health Care on winning this prestigious award and for its role in attracting experienced foreign health care professionals,”said Health Minister George Abbott. “Patients and residents in British Columbia benefit from the skills foreign health care professionals bring to our province, particularly as we face the challenge of shortages of health care professionals overall. They play an important role in providing British Columbians with the best possible health care, particularly given our province’s cultural diversity.”
The second annual Best Employers for New Canadians competition is presented by Mediacorp Canada Inc., the editors of Canada's Top 100 Employers in partnership with TRIEC, a non-profit organization with extensive experience in immigrant employer issues. The 20 finalists represent employers from across Canada that lead their peers in creating workplaces that welcome new Canadians and allow them to make the most of their skills, education and talents.
“It is a great honour for Providence to be recognized as a leading organization that creates a welcoming and productive environment for employees who are recent immigrants,” said Dianne Doyle, PHC’s President and CEO. “Working with our health partners, Vancouver Coastal Health, Fraser Health Authority, the Provincial Health Services Authority of BC and the Ministry of Health, we will continue to enhance our support programs to remain an employer of choice for leading health care professionals from around the world.”
PHC’s mission, vision and values respect the diversity, dignity and interdependence of all persons, which are reflected in the organization’s initiatives and programs that assist employees who are transitioning to life in Canada.
Background on Providence Health Care Initiatives and Services for Foreign Staff
• PHC notifies new applicants of the steps required to have their foreign qualifications evaluated by a provincially recognized evaluation service.
• PHC’s “onboarding” program consists of an organization-wide New Employee Orientation as well as unit-specific and job-specific orientation sessions (up to a week long). When training specifically for their roles, new employees are given “buddy” or “shadow” shifts, where they follow and are mentored by a senior staff member. If necessary, new employees who are recent immigrants are supported with extended shadow shifts and mentoring to gain confidence and better understand the Canadian workplace.
• PHC offers settlement services to help ease the transition for internationally recruited staff coming to work at PHC. These staff receive a relocation allowance and are paired up with a relocation agent who will help them with housing, community services and schools upon their arrival to Canada.
• PHC’s Diversity Services department facilitates and supports health care delivery in a diverse workplace and multicultural environment by providing education, developing resource and training materials and conducting workshops and lectures on cultural competence in health care. New Canadians coming to work in a multicultural environment for the first time especially benefit by learning about the needs of the diverse patient population that PHC serves.
• PHC’s Mission Services department and Pastoral Care Services regularly organize special events around different cultural and religious holidays throughout PHC sites to create awareness and appreciation for the different cultures represented among PHC staff.
• PHC participates in an International Nurse Recruitment Campaign branded under the title “Nurse Vancouver”. This campaign is a collaborative initiative with PHC and the three Health Authorities in Metro Vancouver and is supported by the Ministry of Health. The focus is to actively recruit foreign-trained nurses to help alleviate the nursing shortage in Metro Vancouver. Since its inception in 2006, more than 500 international nurses have been hired including 100 nurses to PHC.
• PHC participates in the Internationally Educated (IEN) Registered Nurses (RN) Post-Licensure Program, a four-month, intensive orientation and training program that provides internationally educated registered nurses already living in Canada (for whom English is a second language) an opportunity to update their skills in order to work in Canada while earning full wages. The fully subsidized program is 16 weeks in length consisting of language and orientation courses, classroom work and preceptorship in a hospital unit at PHC. Following this, nurses assume permanent full-time positions on the unit where they completed their preceptorship.
Every year, Mediacorp reviews information from thousands of Canadian organizations to identify what it takes to be one of Canada's best employers. The winners of the Best Employers for New Canadians competition will be profiled in special editorial features published Mediacorp’s media partners early in 2008. Employers selected for this list will also be featured in the paperback edition of Canada's Top 100 Employers in 2008.
Providence Health Care is the largest faith-based health care organization in Canada, operating eight facilities in Vancouver, B.C. Guided by the principle “How you want to be treated,” Providence delivers compassionate care to 350,000 patients and residents each year, while training medical professionals and making innovative advances in research.
h 2007 ary 2007Experts from St. Paul’s Offer Drop-in Sessions on Heart Failure
Summit Draws Leaders to Address Heart and Lung Health in BC
Researchers, educators, clinicians, policy makers, private sector leaders and members of the public will gather at a local summit tomorrow to address the enormous burden of heart and lung diseases. The summit, covering a timely topic for Heart Month, acknowledges the connection between heart and lung diseases and the urgency to address the issue.
Heart disease is the biggest killer of Canadians – an illness that 74,000 die from each year. Lung disease affects one in five Canadians, taking a life every 20 minutes. Together these diseases cost our health care system more than $26.5 billion annually. Scientists are increasingly discovering links between heart and lung diseases, including similar causative factors such as air pollution, cigarette smoke, obesity and viruses. Meanwhile the rates and costs of heart and lung diseases are on the rise around the world.
Hosted by the Providence Heart + Lung Institute at St. Paul’s Hospital, the summit will present the opportunities and challenges that British Columbians face in heart and lung health, and how the province will lead in addressing these. The summit is the first step in a concerted effort to place British Columbia at the forefront of heart and lung health.
What: Restoring & Sustaining Heart & Lung Health in the 21st Century
When: Thursday, February 21, 2008, 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
Where: Morris J. Wosk Centre for Dialogue, Vancouver, B.C. (580 West Hastings Street)
Speakers:
Dr. Bruce McManus
Director, Providence Heart + Lung Institute at St. Paul’s Hospital
Dr. Peter Liu
Scientific Director, Institute of Circulatory and Respiratory Health, Canadian Institutes of Health Research
Member, Steering Committee, Canadian Heart Health Strategy
Member, Interim Steering Committee, National Lung Health Framework
Dr. Arden Pope
Mary Lou Fulton Professor of Economics, Brigham Young University
Board of Directors, American Lung Association of Utah
Launched in June 2007, the Providence Heart + Lung Institute at St. Paul's Hospital embraces all of Providence’s heart and lung research, education and care programs under one umbrella. It is the only such institute of its kind in Canada. Its mandate is to transform cardiovascular and pulmonary research and care - accelerating the transfer of new care solutions from discovery to clinics and communities to improve the lives of British Columbians.
h 2007 ary 2007Experts from St. Paul’s Offer Drop-in Sessions on Heart Failure
Free Drop-in Sessions: All About Heart Failure
Heart failure affects people in many different ways and can develop over several years or suddenly as a result of a heart attack. For most people heart failure is a life-long condition.
Join experts from St. Paul’s Hospital’s Heart Function Clinic for a series of short lectures on what heart failure is, how it’s treated, what you can do to prevent it, and if you have it, what you can do to manage it. Experts will be available to answer any questions about heart failure and provide valuable information on prevention, drugs for treatment, diet, exercise and self-care.
Presented by Providence Health Care’s Heart + Lung Institute in association with the Canadian CHF Clinics Network, this event is sponsored in part by Medtronic Canada.
What: Free Drop-in Sessions for “Heart Failure Awareness Day”
When: Friday, February 22nd, 10am - 12:30pm (meet the experts) 11am - 12 noon (lectures)
Where: St. Paul’s Hospital, Level 1 Conference Centre, Providence Building
Free underground hotel parking is available on a first come first served basis.
Speakers:
Dr. Andy Ignaszewski, Cardiologist
Ms. Margaret Edmonds, Heart Failure Nurse
Ms. Beverly Lau, Dietitian
Dr. Doson Chua, Pharmacist
For more information, please call 604-806-8733.
h 2007 ary 2007Experts from St. Paul’s Offer Drop-in Sessions on Heart Failure
Innovative New Cardiac Operating Room Opens at St. Paul’s Hospital
Sister Margaret Vickers, currently on the Board of Directors at Providence Health Care, has been given Canada’s highest civilian honour – the Order of Canada.
Sister Vickers has been a member of the Sisters of Charity of the Immaculate Conception, a Saint John-based Catholic religious order, since 1955 and has devoted her life to working in health care.
“This prize is of the highest distinction and truly recognizes Sister Vickers’ invaluable contribution to the mission of Catholic Health Care in Canada,” says Providence Health Care CEO Dianne Doyle. “She has accomplished a great deal in her career and deserves this high praise.”
The Order of Canada recognition is the latest in a long list of accomplishments for Sister Vickers. She graduated from St. Martha’s Hospital school of nursing in Antigonish, Nova Scotia and later earned a bachelor of nursing and master of health administration in Ottawa. In 1986 Sister Vickers was presented with an honorary doctor of laws degree from the University of New Brunswick.
Sister Vickers is past chair of the Catholic Health Association and the New Brunswick Hospital Association, of which she was a founding member. In addition, from 1997-2001 she served as president of the Vancouver Archdiocesan Sisters Association and was a member of her religious community’s leadership team from 1998-2002.
Last year, Sister Vickers and her sister Charlotte Vickers, also of the Sisters of Charity, received the highest distinction in Catholic health care from the Catholic Health Association of Canada.
Sister Vickers will travel to Ottawa in the coming year to attend the Order of Canada ceremonies with Governor General Michaëlle Jean. The Order recognizes a lifetime of dedication and outstanding achievement by people in all sectors of society who exemplify its motto DESIDERANTES MELIOREM PATRIAM (they desire a better country).
Providence Health Care is the largest Catholic health care organization in Canada, operating eight facilities in Vancouver, B.C. Guided by the principle “How you want to be treated,” Providence delivers compassionate care to 350,000 patients and residents each year, while training medical professionals and making innovative advances in research.
Background on Sister Vickers
An active member of Sisters of Charity of the Immaculate Conception, Sister Vickers holds a Diploma in Nursing from St. Martha’s Hospital in Antigonish, Nova Scotia, a Bachelor of Nursing and a Master’s of Health Administration from the University of Ottawa and an honorary Doctorate in Law.
She has been a member in various capacities with the Saskatchewan Catholic Health Association, New Brunswick Hospital Association, Canadian Hospital Association, Nurses Association of New Brunswick, New Brunswick Catholic Health Association, United Way of Greater Saint John, American College of Hospital Administrators, Canadian College of Health Service Executives, Advisory Committee for St. Joseph's Hospital and Board of Directors for Region 2 Hospital, Saint John.
After receiving her diploma and degree in Nursing, Sister Vickers went on to post-graduate studies pediatric nursing at Toronto Sick Children’s Hospital and audiology at the Royal Victoria Hospital in Montreal. Combined with her Master’s in Health Administration, this background enabled her to serve in a number of capacities over the years at various hospitals, including St. Vincent's in Vancouver as Assistant Administrator, St. Joseph's Hospital in Saint John, New Brunswick as Director of Nursing, Holy Family Hospital in Prince Albert, Saskatchewan as Assistant Administrator and again at St. Joseph’s Hospital in Saint John as Executive Director and Administrator—a position she held for 22 years.
It has been said that she ran St. Joseph’s with “wisdom and firmness.” According to Minister of Health and Community Services for New Brunswick, she was the driving force behind St. Joseph’s Hospital’s unique personality and quality service to the community. In all things her dedication and efforts were derived from a deep concern for patients in their time of illness and distress.
During her time at St. Joseph’s she helped found a hospice for families of palliative care patients, AIDS Saint John, Birth Right and an Audiology Clinic. She also organized and open the first diagnostic hostel, helped open a day surgery centre, an intensive care unit, occupational therapy unit, an extended care unit and an expansion to the emergency department. All of these accomplishments added another dimension to the care that was provided to the patients. She was also one of the key people involved in the establishment of the St. Joseph’s Hospital Foundation, which raises funds to enhance hospital equipment. She was known as the most valuable and committed fundraiser.
In 1986, in recognition of her service and contributions to health care, Sister Vickers was awarded an honorary doctorate from the University of New Brunswick.
In the 1990s she returned to St. Vincent’s Hospital in Vancouver, where she had once been an administrative assistant. Now she served as a member of the Board of Directors, helping orchestrate a merger with St. Paul’s Hospital and other Catholic facilities—the largest voluntary merger in Canadian health care history. The new organization, Providence Health Care, has eight sites, including nearly 800 acute care beds and five residential care homes for the elderly.
Since early 2000 Sister Vickers has been a member of the Board Directors and the Providence Health Care society, where she makes valuable contributions. She serves on the Mission and Ethics Committee, the Board Development Committee and the Quality and Performance Improvement Committee. She also serves as Mission Facilitator at one of the organization’s care homes, Brock Fahrni Pavilion, for veterans of Canada’s armed forces.
Sister Vickers was also among the first in Catholic health care to recognize that the ministry must extend beyond the walls of its health facilities. She has been instrumental in the development and ongoing success of Providence in the Park. This is a twice-annual outreach event that sees staff and volunteers from Providence Health Care provide clothing, food and comfort to more than 500 residents of Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside, Canada’s poorest urban neighbourhood.
Sister Vickers has made an invaluable contribution to health care in Canada. Whether as a Sister of the Charity of the Immaculate Conception, an executive director and administrator, or a board member at Providence Health Care, she and her accomplishments deserve high praise for having set high standards for her colleagues and the organizations she have served. Recently added to the honours she has received during her career is a 2007 Performance Citation Award from the Catholic Health Association of Canada.
h 2007 ary 2007Experts from St. Paul’s Offer Drop-in Sessions on Heart Failure
Providence Health Care Board Member Awarded Order of Canada
Sister Margaret Vickers, currently on the Board of Directors at Providence Health Care, has been given Canada’s highest civilian honour – the Order of Canada.
Sister Vickers has been a member of the Sisters of Charity of the Immaculate Conception, a Saint John-based Catholic religious order, since 1955 and has devoted her life to working in health care.
“This prize is of the highest distinction and truly recognizes Sister Vickers’ invaluable contribution to the mission of Catholic Health Care in Canada,” says Providence Health Care CEO Dianne Doyle. “She has accomplished a great deal in her career and deserves this high praise.”
The Order of Canada recognition is the latest in a long list of accomplishments for Sister Vickers. She graduated from St. Martha’s Hospital school of nursing in Antigonish, Nova Scotia and later earned a bachelor of nursing and master of health administration in Ottawa. In 1986 Sister Vickers was presented with an honorary doctor of laws degree from the University of New Brunswick.
Sister Vickers is past chair of the Catholic Health Association and the New Brunswick Hospital Association, of which she was a founding member. In addition, from 1997-2001 she served as president of the Vancouver Archdiocesan Sisters Association and was a member of her religious community’s leadership team from 1998-2002.
Last year, Sister Vickers and her sister Charlotte Vickers, also of the Sisters of Charity, received the highest distinction in Catholic health care from the Catholic Health Association of Canada.
Sister Vickers will travel to Ottawa in the coming year to attend the Order of Canada ceremonies with Governor General Michaëlle Jean. The Order recognizes a lifetime of dedication and outstanding achievement by people in all sectors of society who exemplify its motto DESIDERANTES MELIOREM PATRIAM (they desire a better country).
Providence Health Care is the largest Catholic health care organization in Canada, operating eight facilities in Vancouver, B.C. Guided by the principle “How you want to be treated,” Providence delivers compassionate care to 350,000 patients and residents each year, while training medical professionals and making innovative advances in research.
Background on Sister Vickers
An active member of Sisters of Charity of the Immaculate Conception, Sister Vickers holds a Diploma in Nursing from St. Martha’s Hospital in Antigonish, Nova Scotia, a Bachelor of Nursing and a Master’s of Health Administration from the University of Ottawa and an honorary Doctorate in Law.
She has been a member in various capacities with the Saskatchewan Catholic Health Association, New Brunswick Hospital Association, Canadian Hospital Association, Nurses Association of New Brunswick, New Brunswick Catholic Health Association, United Way of Greater Saint John, American College of Hospital Administrators, Canadian College of Health Service Executives, Advisory Committee for St. Joseph's Hospital and Board of Directors for Region 2 Hospital, Saint John.
After receiving her diploma and degree in Nursing, Sister Vickers went on to post-graduate studies pediatric nursing at Toronto Sick Children’s Hospital and audiology at the Royal Victoria Hospital in Montreal. Combined with her Master’s in Health Administration, this background enabled her to serve in a number of capacities over the years at various hospitals, including St. Vincent's in Vancouver as Assistant Administrator, St. Joseph's Hospital in Saint John, New Brunswick as Director of Nursing, Holy Family Hospital in Prince Albert, Saskatchewan as Assistant Administrator and again at St. Joseph’s Hospital in Saint John as Executive Director and Administrator—a position she held for 22 years.
It has been said that she ran St. Joseph’s with “wisdom and firmness.” According to Minister of Health and Community Services for New Brunswick, she was the driving force behind St. Joseph’s Hospital’s unique personality and quality service to the community. In all things her dedication and efforts were derived from a deep concern for patients in their time of illness and distress.
During her time at St. Joseph’s she helped found a hospice for families of palliative care patients, AIDS Saint John, Birth Right and an Audiology Clinic. She also organized and open the first diagnostic hostel, helped open a day surgery centre, an intensive care unit, occupational therapy unit, an extended care unit and an expansion to the emergency department. All of these accomplishments added another dimension to the care that was provided to the patients. She was also one of the key people involved in the establishment of the St. Joseph’s Hospital Foundation, which raises funds to enhance hospital equipment. She was known as the most valuable and committed fundraiser.
In 1986, in recognition of her service and contributions to health care, Sister Vickers was awarded an honorary doctorate from the University of New Brunswick.
In the 1990s she returned to St. Vincent’s Hospital in Vancouver, where she had once been an administrative assistant. Now she served as a member of the Board of Directors, helping orchestrate a merger with St. Paul’s Hospital and other Catholic facilities—the largest voluntary merger in Canadian health care history. The new organization, Providence Health Care, has eight sites, including nearly 800 acute care beds and five residential care homes for the elderly.
Since early 2000 Sister Vickers has been a member of the Board Directors and the Providence Health Care society, where she makes valuable contributions. She serves on the Mission and Ethics Committee, the Board Development Committee and the Quality and Performance Improvement Committee. She also serves as Mission Facilitator at one of the organization’s care homes, Brock Fahrni Pavilion, for veterans of Canada’s armed forces.
Sister Vickers was also among the first in Catholic health care to recognize that the ministry must extend beyond the walls of its health facilities. She has been instrumental in the development and ongoing success of Providence in the Park. This is a twice-annual outreach event that sees staff and volunteers from Providence Health Care provide clothing, food and comfort to more than 500 residents of Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside, Canada’s poorest urban neighbourhood.
Sister Vickers has made an invaluable contribution to health care in Canada. Whether as a Sister of the Charity of the Immaculate Conception, an executive director and administrator, or a board member at Providence Health Care, she and her accomplishments deserve high praise for having set high standards for her colleagues and the organizations she have served. Recently added to the honours she has received during her career is a 2007 Performance Citation Award from the Catholic Health Association of Canada.
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2007 ary 2007Experts from St. Paul’s Offer Drop-in Sessions on Heart Failure
New Addiction Research Chair Receives $2.25 Million in Funding
The Province’s $2.25-million investment in a new B.C. Leadership Chair will support leading-edge research and the development of innovative treatment approaches by a world authority on addictions, Advanced Education Minister Murray Coell announced today.
“Addiction takes its toll on the lives of millions of Canadians, directly and indirectly, and costs our health-care system and our economy billions of dollars each year,” said Coell. “The Province is dedicated to finding new ways to improve the lives of those struggling with addiction. By establishing this Leadership Chair with our funding partners, we will support groundbreaking work toward new and effective treatment approaches.”
The first Addiction Research Chair at the University of British Columbia will be Dr. Michael Krausz, a noted psychiatrist and researcher, who will also hold a clinical appointment at St. Paul’s Hospital, part of Providence Health Care. Krausz is a world authority on addiction treatment and led the world’s largest addiction trial, carried out in Germany using heroin-assisted therapy. Examples of the research he will conduct in his new role will involve gaining a better understanding of the impact of life experiences like violence and sexual abuse on addiction, as well as looking at medications and other therapies that can improve people’s lives.
“The Province is committed to attracting world-class researchers like Dr. Krausz to B.C.,” said Coell. “His research will help the many people and their families who are suffering from the damage caused by addiction. We can justifiably be proud of how the government, through the Leading Edge Endowment Fund (LEEF), is supporting pioneering research in the province.”
Funding for the B.C. Leadership Chairs was established with an initial provincial commitment of $45 million for LEEF. Twenty leadership chairs will each receive a total endowment of up to $4.5 million, which is cost-shared between the government and the private sector. St. Paul’s Hospital Foundation has committed matching funding of $2.25 million for the B.C. Leadership Chair in Addiction Research. This is the province’s tenth B.C. leadership chair. “The creation of this new Leadership Chair has provided me with the opportunity to bring my experience in addictions research to British Columbia,” said Krausz. “Through research, we can better understand why people become addicted and develop new therapies and strategies to improve their lives.”
“We are very pleased to welcome Dr. Krausz,” said Providence Health Care president and CEO Dianne Doyle. “At St. Paul’s Hospital, we serve thousands of patients with addiction-related health problems every year. Thanks to the vision of the provincial government and the generosity of donors to St. Paul’s Hospital Foundation who supported this cause, the Leadership Chair will be the cornerstone of a world-class addictions research program based in downtown Vancouver.”
Media Contact:
Corinna Filion
Communications Manager
Ministry of Advanced Education
250-952-6400
250-812-7977 (cell)
For more information on government services or to subscribe to the Province’s news feeds using RSS, visit the Province’s website at www.gov.bc.ca.
h 2007 ary 2007Experts from St. Paul’s Offer Drop-in Sessions on Heart Failure
Providence Health Care President & CEO Named One of Canada’s Most Powerful Women
Canada's leading women executives in just about every corner of the business world – from medicine and media to education and energy – are on this year's list of Canada's Top 100 most powerful women, including Providence Health Care President and Chief Executive Officer, Dianne Doyle.
The Top 100 Awards are awarded annually by the Women's Executive Network (WXN) to celebrate the success and extraordinary achievements of women from many walks of life. Under the leadership of WXN, an independent advisory board selected winners in eight categories: Corporate Executives, Entrepreneurs, Public Sector Leaders, Trailblazers & Trendsetters, Champions, Professionals, Future Leaders and Arts & Communications.
Doyle was selected as this year's winner in the Public Sector Leader category. Doyle was appointed President and Chief Executive Officer of Providence Health Care in September 2006.
She began her career as a staff nurse at Royal Jubilee Hospital in Victoria, BC, but since then has worked exclusively in PHC facilities. She was a Head Nurse and Medical Instructor at St. Paul's Hospital and then moved to Mount Saint Joseph Hospital as Vice President Patient Care Services. She became the Chief Operating Officer and Vice President, Patient Care and Support Services for Mount Saint Joseph in 1995/96 and was then named Acting President and Chief Executive Officer, CHARA Health Care Society.
Doyle is recognized as a champion of Catholic health care provincially and nationally. Currently, she is the Chair of the Catholic Health Association of Canada, a Board member of the BC Health Care Leaders Association, and Vice Chair of both the Catholic Health Association of B.C and the Denominational Health Care Association.
Doyle’s service to the community includes supporting many non-profit groups with her time and expertise. In 2005 she climbed Mt. Kilimanjaro in support of the Alzheimer Society of BC.
Doyle has a BSN from the University of Ottawa and an MSN from the University of British Columbia. In 1990 she received a CHA Health Services Management and CHE Certification from the Canadian Council Health Services Executives. In 2002 she received her Fellowship in the Canadian Council Health Services Executives.
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